Mass Effect 3: Take it Back
by Revolution Assassin
Summary: Follow the SSV Luxembourg crew as they oppose the Reapers and Cerberus. Rated for language, violence, and suggestive themes.
1. Operation Glacier Part I

**Well this is my first ME fic so hopefully it turns out okay for everyone. It'll be a multiplayer style fic and I will write up profiles for the characters and they'll be up soon. Enjoy everyone!**

* * *

**SSV Luxembourg, Sigurd's Cradle**

"Admiral Hackett, is there something you need?"

"Captain Connors, I have a mission for you. I need you and your team to investigate a Cerberus base on Sanctum. Normally, I would request Shepard for this type of situation, but she's currently on Palaven trying to broker an alliance with the Turians. You have an impressive record captain, so I'm choosing you for Operation Glacier."

"What can you tell me about this mission?"

"There are reports that Cerberus is studying Reaper technology on Sanctum. Based on Shepard's last report, Cerberus troops were given cybernetic implants with Reaper tech." He paused for a second, and then proceeded, "I want you and your team to investigate the lab and recover any Reaper tech you find. Eliminate hostile presence and gather intel on the specifics of their research. Make it your top priority."

"Yes sir," Connors acknowledged.

"Good, Hackett out." His translucent, blue form shimmered away.

* * *

"Have you heard the reports about Earth?"

"Yeah; it's nightmare stuff, that's for sure." Talking about it made them remember the news reports.

"We'll give the Reapers hell for what they've done," His tone is reassuring and brings them back into reality.

The two soldiers' conversation was interrupted by a young woman with sandy blonde hair, "Captain's calling us in the war room."

* * *

Seven of Connors' best N7 operatives gathered in the war room for the debriefing. The layout of the Cerberus building was displayed for everyone to observe. It was a fairly large base with many labs to investigate.

"Now that everyone's here, let's begin," Connors said. "As you all already now, Cerberus is well known for their "experiments" and have become a major nuisance recently. Reports say that they're studying Reaper tech on Sanctum. Commander Shepard recently reported that Cerberus troops have been implanted with this tech and their appearance is similar to husks. Our mission is to infiltrate the base, recover any Reaper tech, download their research, and eliminate hostiles."

"There appears to be two major laboratories captain," a young woman pointed out.

"Correct, Sanders. We'll split into two teams. Team Alpha will consist of me, Sanders, Flores, and Atkins. Team Bravo will consist of Reeves, Barton, Carson, and Holmes. Reeves, you're leading Bravo."

"Wait a minute captain. Why are you letting Reeves command Bravo team? You know his history. I should be leading this team," a burly man called out.

"He's leading the team, Barton. Deal with it," Connor said with authority. "Alpha will enter at the northern end of the base while Bravo enters from the southern end. From these points, it's a short distance to the labs."

"That's quite a distance between entrances captain. We don't know how many troops are stationed there," a young man pointed out.

"I know Carson, but we have to get as much data from this place as possible. We'll be there in fifteen minutes. Grab your gear and head to the hanger."

The crew left the war room except Reeves. "Captain, why did you choose me to lead? You know my previous history."

"I know Reeves, but it wasn't your fault. Just leave the past behind and focus on now. Besides, you're one of my best men. Now go get ready, that's an order."

"Yes sir," Reeves saluted.

* * *

The N7 operatives, except Reeves, were gearing up for their hit on Sanctum. Barton was sporting Terminus armor modified by the Alliance for the Destroyer program.

"I can't believe that prick is squad leader." Barton was furious, practically seething with anger. "You all know what his service record is, especially what happened four years ago."

"Yes we know Barton, and it wasn't his fault," Atkins interjected while putting on his Shade armor and checking his omni-tool.

"Good men have died under his command! He should have died, not them!" His voice sounded like thunder inside the smaller room.

Carson and Holmes were watching their comrade shout out in anger while putting on their armor. They've seen their fair share of angered soldiers, but this seemed personal.

Flores and Sanders were ignoring Barton's temper tantrum as they were gearing up. Sanders never understood why so many of the N7 Fury biotics wore skintight outfits.

"Why do you have to wear such snug clothing into combat, Flores?" Sanders questioned.

"It gives me mobility and it looks damn good on me," she laughingly teased. "What about you? Why bring a supply pylon and so many damn grenades?"

A sweet, yet devilish grin widened across her face. "I like grenades."

"Alpha and Bravo team, report to the shuttles," Connors announced over the com.

* * *

"Approaching LZ in 60 seconds Captain," the shuttle pilot announced.

Connors was standing up holding his M-8 Avenger and observing his crew. They were all quiet, itching for some action, he assumed. Flores started fidgeting her fingers, trying to make the time go by faster. Sanders was staring at the floor, with her hands clasped together. Atkins just sat quiet, not doing anything.

Alpha team landed first while Bravo team was barely getting to the other side of the base. They managed to get to the entrance, but the door was locked. Sanders activated her omni-tool and started hacking the lock. It took her a few seconds to open the door. Connors took point as they entered the base.

"Bravo team, what's your position?" Connors requested.

"We're at the front of the entrance. We'll be inside shortly," Reeves replied.

Sanders pulled out the schematics of the base. The Living Quarters were to their right at the first intersection. The laboratory was to their left including an armory adjacent to it.

Connors got into cover to check the western wing of the hall. There was a camera at the far end, which posed a problem for infiltrating the lab.

"There's a camera on the far end over here," Connors announced

"I'll hack into their feeds, it should buy us a bit of time," Sanders said with her omni-tool still active.

"Good, now let's head to the lab."

* * *

"Alright, it should be just up ahead," Carson pointed out.

They approached the window to see who was inside. There were five scientists inside, including a man who had recently had implants installed, judging by all of the blood stains on the surgical equipment. The man was unconscious with restraints indicating he was forced into this procedure. Reeves and the team knew Cerberus was cruel with their experiments, but this was in a league of its own.

"Here's what we're going to do. We have to do this quick and without alerting the station," Reeves said to his comrades, barely above a whisper. "Carson, eliminate the scientist on the far right. Holmes, take the one next to him. Barton, take the center and I'll handle the two on the left." Barton grumbled a bit, but complied.

As soon as the doors opened, Bravo team stormed in the room. One of the scientists was about to reach the security breach button, but Carson electrocuted him with Overload and stabbed him in the chest with his omni-blade. Holmes lunged with his electric omni-blade and slashed the scientist's throat, spilling his blood on the ground. Barton speared the scientist to the wall with his omni-blade in the scientist's stomach. Reeves used his Snap Freeze cryogenics, freezing the two scientists into statues.

"Carson start digging through their data," Reeves ordered as soon as they eliminated the scientists.

* * *

"Formula will only lead to medical advances for Hanar. Of course Cerberus would deem this as a failure."

"What's that Sanders?" Connors inquired curiously.

"It's a medi-gel formula that could help the Hanar."

"Download it, the hospitals on the Citadel and Kahje would want to know about this formula."

Sanders proceeded to download the formula into her omni-tool as well as sift through the research data Cerberus was gathering. . A file pertaining to the Collectors caught her curious eye as she scanned through the files. She opened it up to find some disturbing news.

"Holy shit," Sanders swore with shock and disbelief.

"What is it?" Connors quickly rushed over to the engineer's side.

"Captain, we have another enemy to deal with."

"Who?"

"The Collectors."

* * *

**Modified this chapter because it seemed too short initially. R&R and hope you have a great day or night.**


	2. Operation Glacier Part II

**This is part two of Operation Glacier. I hope you enjoy it everyone.**

* * *

Carson was sifting through their files to find anything worth downloading. He came across a file called the Phantom Initiative, a top secret program for human biotics. Accessing the file required a password, but it wasn't too difficult for the young engineer to figure out. He typed in _Sanctum Cell Omega_ into the terminal and accessed the file. There were references to a base on Pragia that started repairs several months ago. Recently, they've started to experiment on human biotics, some as young as eighteen with biotic potential. Carson started downloading the Phantom file and went on to other data files.

"You know what I hate more than Reapers and Cerberus?" Holmes said, breaking the silence.

Reeves sighed with a bit of annoyance. Holmes had a tendency to crack wise, even during serious situations. "What do you hate more than Reapers and Cerberus?" he inquired, half annoyed and curious.

"Those damn procurement officers," Holmes comically announced. Reeves, Carson, and even Barton were looking at him in a confused manner. It was strange that he hated them more than the Reapers. "Think about it, they always "run out" of the best equipment. I think there's a conspiracy here."

"It could be they don't like you Holmes," Reeves mused with a slight chuckle.

"What's not to like about me?" Holmes said with disbelief. "I'm smart, strong, funny, and damn good looking." He flexed his arms to support his claim and they just shook their heads.

"Uh-huh, keep telling yourself that Casanova," the sentinel said nonchalantly.

Barton walked up to the unconscious man's table, watching his stable vital signs. He stared at the unconscious man's eyes. They were so alien that it just didn't sit right with him. He activated his omni-blade and stabbed him in the heart. The unconscious man didn't even move a muscle from the injury. The vitals flat-lined and the man's blood started to soak his clothing, leaving a pool of blood flowing like a river. He looked back to see Reeves and Holmes looking at him. "It was for the best," Barton solemnly whispered as his head drifted towards the floor. Reeves gave a subtle nod and went to Carson to check on his progress.

* * *

"What else have they been doing here Sanders?" Captain Connors requested.

"Aside from studying Reaper tech, they were experimenting on people, implanting them with cybernetics. Some volunteered to go through the procedures, most were forced into them. In the most recent logs, they've been taking an interest in human biotics and talented mathematicians."

"What use could they have with mathematicians?" Connors didn't understand why they need them. It would make sense if they were seeking people for combat experience.

Sanders skimmed through the text to find the answer, "It says they're using them for combat engineers to program defense turrets. They write complex algorithms to make it harder for them to hack and shut down."

Atkins and Flores were scanning the room for any devices they could retrieve. Nothing resembling Reaper tech was in the lab. They saw a woman lying on one of the tables with cybernetic implants replacing her eyes. There were no vital signs and a data pad with the results stating the patient died from her body rejecting the implants. It also indicated that she was to become a biotic super soldier for Cerberus' military division.

"I can't imagine being implanted with that," Flores said, looking that the corpse's eyes.

"I don't think anyone could Flores," Atkins solemnly replied.

Suddenly, the alarms started blaring throughout the entire base. A man announced over the com, "Alert, Reaper presence on the premises. I repeat, Reaper presence on the premises. Evacuate the station immediately."

Connors quickly got on his radio and contacted Bravo team, "Bravo team report."

"Bravo team here," Reeves answered. "We're almost done downloading the data we need."

"Were there any Reaper devices at your lab?"

"Negative, they must have them somewhere else."

Connors mentally cursed about hearing the bad news. They at least had the data about what Cerberus was doing. Admiral Hackett will have to suffice with what they have. "All right, I'll contact Grey for extraction. Fight your way over here; the Reapers didn't hit this entrance yet."

* * *

"Well ain't this peachy," Barton sarcastically remarked.

"Carson, are you done?" Reeves didn't want the team to overstay their welcome.

"Yes, everything we found is downloaded." the engineer replied.

"Great, let's get the hell out of here," Reeves ordered.

Barton got his N7 Typhoon off his back and activated his Devastator Mode. Reeves got his N7 Valkyrie and held it with an iron grip. Carson drew his Tempest with Disruptor ammo. Holmes had his Carnifex with an armor-piercing mod ready.

Bravo team opened the door to find a group of husks outside of the door. They quickly eliminated the mindless cybernetic zombies and entered the hallway. Cerberus troops were shooting at Cannibals who were suppressing fire and Husks who were heading towards them.

They turned around the corner to find several Cerberus soldiers who recently eliminated four Cannibals. Barton quickly fired at them and the troopers fell with holes in their chests and rivers of crimson blood pooling beneath their bodies.

The four males ran until they reached the end of the hallway, making a right to enter the next hallway. They spotted a group of Cannibals and a new Turian husk. This new husk was able to command the Cannibals in an efficient and militaristic fashion. Reeves knew that it was something to be concerned about. It was not as mindless as the Husks or Cannibals; it still had the combat effectiveness of a Turian soldier.

Reeves got up front and activated his omni-shield. He signaled his team to start firing at the Reaper group. The Turian husk managed to roll out of the way from most of the shots and fired off its Phaeston at Reeves' omni-shield. Carson took out the Turian husk's shields with Overload and Barton finished it off with his Typhoon.

Carson pulled up the schematics while they were running down the hall. They took a left and ran as fast as they could. The hallway was about a little more than half a kilometer from the T-shaped intersection. It was a straight shot to the north entrance.

"Bravo team, status report," Connors requested as they exited the lab.

"This is Bravo team. We're making our way to the north entrance eta sixty seconds," Reeves replied as he ran.

"Copy that. Let's head to the LZ," Connors ordered.

The males of Bravo team were running as fast as they could toward the entrance; their feet were thundering throughout the hall. They could see Alpha team about to open the door. Reeves told them to pick up the pace to catch up to them.

Connors saw Bravo team sprinting towards them and told Sanders to keep the doors opened a bit longer. A few seconds later, Bravo caught up and joined up with Alpha. The crew saw the LZ being swarmed by Reaper forces. Grey had arrived, but Connors told her to circle around until they've dealt with the hostiles.

Connors readied his Avenger and hit the Cannibal between the eyes. Sanders pulled out her Mantis and aimed it at a Turian husk. Carson took out its shields and Sanders finished it off with a headshot. Barton took care of the rest with his Typhoon.

"Grey, the LZ's clear," Connors reported.

"Understood Captain, I'll be right there." Grey spotted them and prepared for descent.

As they were running to the shuttle, Reaper forces managed to open the door behind them. A squad of Cannibals open fired at them. They ran to the shuttle as quickly as possible while suppressing fire. A shot managed to hit Reeves on his left side, but he pushed on. They all managed to get in and Grey flew them out, heading toward the Luxembourg.


	3. Luxembourg I

**Here's a new chapter people. If anyone has alien character ideas, leave a review or message me. Leave a review to let me know how I'm doing. Enjoy everyone.**

* * *

Sanders and Carson sat next to each other, sorting through the data they collected from the terminals. Sanders rapidly tapped on her omni-tool, breezing through the files with ease. The young male engineer as well as Flores and Atkins were in awe. Carson felt like a snail compared to her.

Holmes was on his omni-tool, looking through unread messages. Most of them were spammed emails. One of them was about this male enhancement stimulant to _last longer_ in the bedroom. He mentally shuttered and deleted it from his inbox.

Reeves was struggling to find a comfortable position to sit. He could feel the medi-gel seeping into his wound. It was unpleasant to say the least, but it could have been worse. His mind processed what happened down there on Sanctum. His kinetic barriers were at full strength when he was running to the shuttle, yet the Cannibals managed to take down his shields quickly and hit him. During his service, this was the third time he was ever shot. He thought about and shouldn't be surprised since they were facing the Reapers.

Connors was watching the two engineers tapping on their omni-tools, examining the data. He was pretty curious about the Collectors since Commander Shepard managed to wipe out the majority of them. "Sanders, what are the specifics in the Collector files? Have they changed since several months ago?" he inquired.

The female engineer quickly brought up the Collector file and looked through any sort of modifications. She found a few changes after a brief read, "Based on the data, the Praetorians seem to be more aggressive than they used to be. There's a mission report here that says Praetorians grab their victims with their claws and bite their heads off."

"Damn, that's one hell of a way to die," Holmes interjected grimly.

"I'm not _done_ yet;" Sanders retorted, irritated by being interrupted. "Scions have evolved as well. They're more durable than before. Additional reports are saying that all Collector forces can be "possessed" and be more deadly than their uncontrolled counterparts."

"How did they get this information? It's not like they sent a team to be killed, just to find out the information," Connors said.

"Actually, that's exactly how they found out sir," Sanders gravely stated.

"What?!" Barton shouted out in anger. "Are you saying that they sacrificed people like animals just to get field data?!"

"I'm afraid so Barton."

Barton was seething with rage after that little revelation. He never liked Cerberus to begin with and this made it worse for him. He wondered if some of his former comrades joined them at some point. Some of them always voiced their dismay about the other races when he served with them.

"So what's our next course of action Captain?" Reeves asked.

"We're heading to the Citadel. We're low on medical supplies and rations so we need to restock for a couple of weeks at least."

"Sixty seconds to the Luxembourg Captain," Grey announced while checking the readings of the shuttle.

"Copy that," Connors acknowledged.

Reeves decided to take his mind off the wound and check his inbox. There was a message from his sister Mikayla that was sent an hour ago and flagged urgent. She asked him to meet on the Citadel at her apartment. It was a strange request, but he knew something was wrong.

The shuttle slowed down significantly and the cargo bay was opening up. Grey reversed the shuttle and slowly backed it towards the cargo bay. She hovered above an appropriate area to land and slowly descended.

Barton opened the portside door of the shuttle to let the crew out. He looked at Reeves for a brief second as he was about to walk out. If it wasn't for the helmet, there would be a glare at the sentinel.

Connors pulled Sanders and Carson aside, "Sanders, I want you with me to look over the files. Carson, send the files to Alliance Command."

Both the engineers nodded and followed behind the captain.

* * *

**Med-Bay**

After taking off his armor and putting on his uniform, Reeves went up to see the doctor. His pace was rather slow, each step was painful now that the adrenaline was wearing off. One of the servicemen offered to help him, but assured him that he could make it there by himself.

He walked in on Doctor Richmond checking the inventory of meds she had from medi-gel to pain killers.

"Hey doc," Reeves grunted in pain, clutching his wound.

She turned around and saw the sentinel with a pained expression on his face. "So who was it this time Reeves?" she asked with a hint of concern.

"Reapers doc."

"Damn, it's going to get worse isn't it?" the young doctor rhetorically asked.

"Much worse. So how bad is my wound?"

"Oh sorry, I'll run a scan."

Reeves sat still. "Well, you could have had your spleen blasted away if it moved a little to your right." The sentinel's eyes widened in shock, "You'll be fine, just don't do anything strenuous young man," she assured him.

"Young man? You're barely three years older than me."

* * *

**War Room**

After fifteen minutes of looking over the data, Connors was ready to report to Admiral Hackett about the mission. Although he didn't gather any Reaper technology, there was plenty of data about what they were doing.

The captain was waiting for Admiral Hackett's holographic silhouette to appear. After a minute, the Admiral appeared, "Captain we received your intel from the base on Sanctum. Did you manage to gather any Reaper technology while you were there?"

Connors shook his head, "Unfortunately, we were unable to gather any. The Reapers overwhelmed the base so we didn't get a chance to sweep the entire base."

"I see. The data you've provided will help not only the Alliance, but our allies as well."

"We're heading to the Citadel for supplies Admiral."

Hackett just nodded, "Take a couple of days of shore leave while you're at it. We're getting reports from the Turian Hierarchy. Although they can't provide their full support of their fleets, they will to provide at least a platoon's worth of soldiers to help the Alliance for saving their councilor."

"Understood sir, I'll send you a full report of the mission as soon as possible."

"Very well, Hackett out," his blue form shimmered away.


	4. Luxembourg II

**Mess Hall 1000 GST – three hours after the completion of Operation Glacier**

Reeves was sitting down at the table of the Mess Hall, relaxing from the ordeal on Sanctum. Seeing the Reapers decimating the Cerberus base got him thinking if they would _ever_ destroy them.

What kept bothering him aside from the Reapers and Cerberus was his sister's message. The last time he saw and talked to Mikayla was about five years ago and it ended with them arguing.

Reeves walked over to the refrigerator to see if there was anything half-decent to eat. The only things the fridge had were energy drinks, water bottles, a block of cheese, and eggs. He groaned when he saw the small amount of food in the fridge. He grabbed a water bottle and walked over to the tables.

He glanced around to see Grey walking toward the fridge. She had that look as if she was hoping to get some good food. As she explored the contents inside, the silence broke.

"There's hardly anything in there Grey, unless you don't mind cheese and eggs," Reeves pointed out bluntly.

Grey grunted in disapproval and grabbed a water bottle that was in front of her. She trudged back and took a seat across from Reeves.

"So…" Grey said, not knowing what to say but trying to spark a conversation.

"So…" Reeves echoed back, not sounding very enthusiastic.

"Tell me a bit about yourself."

Reeves merely shrugged, "There's not a lot to talk about."

Grey persisted, trying to learn more about the sentinel, "Oh come on. There's got to be _something_ interesting about you."

Reeves looked at her for a brief moment, knowing that the shuttle pilot wasn't going to leave him alone until she got some answers. He sighed in defeat, "I grew up in Phoenix, Arizona with two brothers and two sisters. My dad was former military, fought in the First Contact War. I joined the Alliance to keep the military tradition alive."

Grey internally cheered, _Man he's so easy to crack_. "So how far back does this military tradition go back," she asked before taking a drink.

"I'd say since World War II," he nonchalantly replied.

Grey spat out the water she had in her mouth, "That's over 240 years ago. How the hell do you know that?"

"Our family kept a genealogy. It's very detailed," he proudly stated. "So enough about me, how did you find your way into the Alliance?"

"I grew up on Bekenstein, not exactly a pleasant place to live, but I made the most of it. My dad was a transport technician and my mom worked at a store where they sold luxurious items. I always wanted to be a pilot so I joined the Alliance."

"So what can you fly besides shuttles?"

She just gave a small shrug, "I can fly virtually any type of fighter. It made sense for me to take over as shuttle pilot."

They both conversed for half an hour, talking about their careers and their greatest achievements along with who they have served with. Reeves never discussed his major failure during his service, but talked about a few minor ones.

"You've seen a lot of action Reeves."

He peered away briefly, muttering to himself, "That's nothing compared to now."

* * *

**Engineering **

Sanders and Carson were running scans on their weapons' systems to make sure there was nothing wrong in case they were under fire. Everything was clear except for their GARDIAN systems. Carson muttered under his breath about the previous engineers serving on the Luxembourg being lazy.

"How are the sensors?" Sanders asked.

Carson pulled up the ship's schematics, "All sensors are operational."

"Are any of them damaged?"

"No."

"Good."

Carson looked over to see Sanders yawning and rubbing her eyes. He was a bit concerned for her since he heard she can be a workaholic. He walked over and tried to convince her to go take a nap. She was persistent to keep working, despite her exhaustion.

He contacted Reeves to see if he could help, "Hey Reeves. How familiar are you with calibrating weapon systems?"

"I know a few things, but I don't think I can help you with everything. Why, did something happen?"

He looked at her with worried eyes while she gave him a glare, "Sanders is a bit exhausted. I don't want her to pass out on me."

Reeves just sighed, "I'll be down there in a bit. Tell her to go get some rest and that's an order."

As Carson was about to tell her the news, she stormed past him and ran her shoulder into his. He winced a bit in pain as she hit him harder than he expected. He gazed at her with a worried look till she was no longer in his sight.

Sanders waited impatiently for the elevator to come down. As she was about to enter, she saw Reeves standing there. They both traded glares and walked past each other. He could have swore she said something under her breath, but ignored it.

Reeves entered the engineering room to see Carson looking under the weather, but still working. He figured Sanders was pissed at Carson as well as him. He decided to talk about the little ordeal with him, "Don't worry about pissing her off Carson."

Carson merely looked down at his console, "I've never seen Sanders like this. It's like she's a whole different person."

Reeves just shrugged, "I've met and served with people similar to her work ethic. They feel they have to push themselves to the limit."

"I just don't want her to-"

"Hate you?" Carson merely nodded. "Hate to burst your bubble kid, but you need to tough it out. Barton hates my guts, but you don't see me moping around. Not everyone's going to like you so just accept it."

The young engineered heavily sighed and had to agree with him. He did have a tendency to try to get people on their good side. It's one of his flaws that he hoped to get rid of during his service in the military.


End file.
